Dropbox's Sydney office makes you feel right at home

Flexible working arrangements, allowing employees to work from home is a growing trend in the workplace.

So why not make the office a little more homely?

This is exactly what Dropbox has strived to achieve when it designed its Sydney office space.

Its 2,000 square metre digs in Martin Place, Sydney are open, light, and most importantly, comfortable.

“[It’s] a reflection of innovation, creativity and forward thinking,” says Deeps De Silva, head of marketing APAC & Japan at Dropbox.

“It is inspired by people and the way that they collaborate and work together and enabled by technology of the future.

“We set out to create a home away from home for our team that allows them to harness their full potential and work the way that they want. But most of all, our office is a welcoming home for our Dropbox family – our staff, customers, partners, clients and friends.”

The team at architecture firm Gensler brought this vision to life using a free-flowing layout, an abundance of plants and natural light.

Here’s a walkthrough of Dropbox’s Sydney HQ.

Welcome

Photography: Katherine Lu

A welcome mat. That's a nice touch. The 5 represents the address of the office: 5 Martin Place, Sydney.

The reception

Photography: Katherine Lu

Dropbox based the design of the reception on a typical Australian home. It's open and light, a pleasant first impression for visitors.

The lounge

Photography: Katherine Lu

Somewhat like a living room, this large open space is designed for a variety of needs: individual relaxation, brief casual meetings, to larger social gatherings.

The kitchen

Photography: Katherine Lu

The kitchen includes a coffee machine -- with an in-house barista -- fridges full of provided drinks and snacks, and ice cream! Lunch is also provided every day for the staff. Some breakfast supplies are also available.

The dining area

The open dining area has great natural light and an eclectic mix of table settings and seating options. On Friday afternoons, customers and partners are welcome along for drinks.

The courtyard

Photography: Katherine Lu

The courtyard is all about bringing the outside in with an abundance of lush greenery. It is used in the evenings as a fun entertaining area, or during the day as a quiet space for contemplation.

The dining room

Photography: Katherine Lu

The dining room can seat up to eight people and can be closed off for private lunch meetings. It's equipped with A/V to accommodate presentations throughout the day.

The workspace

Photography: Katherine Lu

The workspace is flexible to adapt to growth or if a team restructures. The workstations are open plan and desks are height-adjustable.

The office layout

Photography: Katherine Lu

The overall layout is designed to accommodate moderate focused work and some ad-hoc interaction, with multiple easily accessible, 1- and 2-person quiet rooms, and 4-person booths around the perimeter of the office.

An IT help desk

Photography: Katherine Lu

There's a dedicated IT help desk to address any staff IT needs. Also note the ping-pong table! A large-scale photograph from Aquabumps has been applied to its surface, as well as some feature walls through the office.

The boardroom

Photography: Katherine Lu

The boardroom is fully equipped for presentations, conferencing and virtual collaboration. It can seat up to 18 people and features a louvered, walk-in garden that serves as an acoustic and visual buffer from the lift lobby.